m01 exp cb b2glb 8101 u01 · 2 skim the text in exercise 5 and answer the questions. 1 which of the...

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1

Lead-in

1 Discuss the questions.

1 Which languages do you think are shown in the photos? Where do you think the photos might have been taken?

2 Which other countries can you think of where more than one language is offi cially spoken? 3 In what situations does it help to be able to speak multiple languages? 4 How many languages can you speak? How many would you like to be able to speak? Give

some reasons. 5 Do you know anyone who is fully bilingual or multilingual? How old were they when they

learnt each language? How did they learn them? 6 If someone is said to ‘know’ a language, what do you think this means (e.g. that they can use

the language in a job)?7 Do you consider yourself to be bilingual or multilingual? In which languages? Does that

include English?

Learning 1A

h Reading: Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers h Academic vocabulary: Using a dictionary; Parts of speech; Number prefi xes

h Speaking: Read aloud; Answer short question h Listening: Fill in the blanks h Language development: Tenses in academic English; Passive v. active; Discourse markers

h Writing: Write essay

1B h Listening: Fill in the blanks; Write from dictation h Language development: Present perfect and past simple; Defi ning relative clauses

h Academic vocabulary: Dealing with unfamiliar words; Knowing which unknown words are important; Inferring meaning from context

h Reading: Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers h Speaking: Describe image h Writing: Write essay

A B

C

M01_EXP_CB_B2GLB_8101_U01.indd 7 01/11/2013 12:37

1A Bilingualism

8

Reading 1 (Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers)

1 a Do you think differently when speaking in English (or another language) compared with your fi rst language?

b Name some of the shades of colour in the photo in English. What about in other languages you know? Do words in your fi rst language always correspond exactly to words in English?

In many test tasks it helps to fi nd the main idea of the text by quickly reading just the fi rst and maybe the last sentence of each paragraph. This is called skimming . With longer texts, it also helps to skim through the entire introduction and conclusion.

2 Skim the text in Exercise 5 and answer the questions.

1 Which of the following is the text about generally? A how people study and learn languages B how colours are seen differently in different languages C how languages affect our understanding of the world

2 Which paragraph talks about: A details of a research project? B what people do with a second language? C earlier projects?

In reading tasks you often need to search the text quickly for specifi c information without reading every word. This is called scanning . For example, you can search for specifi c ideas, numbers, names with capital letters or titles in italics.

3 a Scan the text in Exercise 5 to fi nd:

1 two non-English words. 2 one person’s name. 3 one journal title. 4 two languages.

b Work in pairs. Compare and discuss how you approached Exercise 3a. For example, which words or features helped you to fi nd each answer?

After you skim the text to get a feel for the main idea, the next step is to read the question and responses to fi nd the key points. Then scan to fi nd the part or parts of the text that relate to the key points in each response.

4 a Look at the question and response option A in the test task in Exercise 5. Find the key points. Then scan the text to fi nd the related information.

b Repeat the process for options B–F.

c Compare your results in pairs. Did you choose the same key points in the options? Did you fi nd the same areas of the text?

Before you read

Skimming

Scanning

Approaching the test task


9

1AModule 1Learning

9

1AModule 1Learning

5 Complete the task. Remember to use the parts of the text that you found in Exercise 4 to help you choose the correct option.

Test practice

Read the text and answer the question by selecting all the correct responses. More than one response is correct.

Learning a foreign language literally changes the way we see the world, according to new research. Panos Athanasopoulos of Newcastle University, England, has found that bilingual speakers think differently to those who only use one language. And you don’t need to be fl uent in the language to feel the effects – his research showed that it is language use, not profi ciency, which makes the difference.

Working with both Japanese and English speakers, he looked at their language use and profi ciency, along with the length of time they had been in the country, and matched this against how they perceived the colour blue. Colour perception is an ideal way of testing bilingual concepts because there is a huge variation between where different languages place boundaries on the colour spectrum. In Japanese, for example, there are additional basic terms for light blue ( mizuiro ) and dark blue ( ao ), which are not found in English. Further, ao also covers colours that English people would call ‘green’, such as a green traffi c light.

Previous research has shown that people are more likely to rate two colours to be similar if they belong to the same linguistic category. ‘We found that people who only speak Japanese distinguished more between light and dark blue than English speakers,’ said Dr Athanasopoulos, whose research is published in the current edition of Bilingualism: Language and Cognition . ‘The degree to which Japanese–English bilinguals resembled either norm depended on which of their two languages they used more frequently.’

Most people tend to focus on how to do things such as order food or use public transport when they learn another language to help them get by but ‘as well as learning vocabulary and grammar, you’re also unconsciously learning a whole new way of seeing the world,’ said Dr Athanasopoulos.

According to the text, which of the following is defi nitely true?

A Bilinguals and monolinguals understand the world differently from each other.

B Perfect fl uency is needed in order to experience the effect described.

C The professor’s research disagrees with the results of earlier studies.

D The professor’s research involved asking people about a number of colours.

E Different languages tend to describe each colour in a similar way.

F The researcher feels that the results of the experiment go beyond colours.

6 Compare answers and discuss the questions in pairs.

1 How did the skimming and scanning you did in Exercises 2–4 help you fi nd the correct responses?

2 Look at the options that you didn’t choose. Why did you rule each of them out? (e.g. Which ones contradict statements in the text? Which contain information that is not mentioned in the text?)

3 How confi dent were you about your answers?


1 Are there other concepts, besides colour, where an English word doesn’t correspond with a single word in a language you know?

2 As an experienced learner of English, do you agree that ‘learning a foreign language literally changes the way we see the world’?

8 Check the meaning of these key words from the text. Write them in your vocabulary notebook with an example sentence.

Task analysis

Discussion

hh SEE READING 2 for more practice of this task type.

EXPERT WORD CHECK

degree literally resembled spectrum tend


10

Module 1Learning1A

Academic vocabulary 1

Using a dictionary

1 Read the dictionary entry and answer the questions.

1 What part of speech is fl uent ? How do you know? 2 What other forms of the word are there? What

parts of speech are they? 3 What do you think [ U ] means at the end of the

entry? 4 What part of the entry tells you how to pronounce

the word? Where would you look to fi nd out how to read the pronunciation symbols?

5 Which word is commonly used with fl uent ? What showed you this?

6 Dictionaries often put meanings in order of frequency. How can you check if your dictionary does this? Which is most important to know?

b Write the words from Exercise 2a in the correct place in the notes. Then write the missing words in each row. Check your answers in a dictionary.

AWL ACL

Parts of speech

2 a Look at the test task on page 9. Find words in the text that match these meanings.

1 profi ciency : the state of having a very high level of skill

2 : a way of thinking about or seeing something

3 : idea 4 : think that someone or something has a

particular quality, value or standard 5 : connected with language or words 6 : the process of thinking, knowing and

understanding 7 : a standard way to do something 8 : give special attention to one particular

thing

1 profi ciency (n) — (v) (adj)

2 (n) (v) (adj)

3 (n) (v) (adj)

4 (n) (v) — (adj)

5 (n) — (v) (adj)

6 (n) — (v) (adj)

7 (n) (v) (adj)

8 (n) (v) (adj)

c Choose one word from each row and write a question with it. Then work in pairs and ask and answer your questions.

Which language are you most proficient in?

Number prefi xes

3 a In the test task on page 9 you read about bilinguals . What does the prefi x bi- mean?

b Look at the prefi xes in the box. Which prefi x means:

bi- deca- hexa- mono- multi- penta- quad- semi- tri- uni-

A 1? (2 answers) D 4? G 10? B 2? E 5? H ½? C 3? F 6? I many?

c Can you think of other number prefi xes? Add them to the box.

4 Read the sentences. What do the underlined words mean?

1 He learnt three things at university: how to speak French, how to play the guitar and how to ride a unicycle .

2 He had lunch in the university’s quadrangle , outside the Languages Department.

3 The building was in the shape of a hexagon . 4 The city is noted for its many multicultural areas. 5 His only chance to speak German was on his

biennial visit to Berlin and his once-a- decade visit to Hamburg.

6 Unfortunately, the professor’s lectures were nothing more than boring monologues , spoken unemotionally in a monotone .

5 a Work in pairs. Make a list of other words you know that begin with the prefi xes in Exercise 3. Share your list with the class.

b Choose fi ve words from this page that are new to you and that you think might be useful to know. Write a sentence for each.

� u.ent / ̍fl uːənt / adj 1 able to speak a

language very well: [+in] She was fl uent in

English, French and German . 2 � uent French/Japanese/etc someone who speaks fl uent French

etc speaks it like a person from that country: He

spoke in fl uent Italian . 3 fl uent speech or writing

is smooth and confi dent, with no mistakes: He

was a fl uent and rapid prose writer . 4 fl uent

movements are smooth and gentle, not sudden

and sharp: She rose with the fl uent movement of

an athlete . – � uently adv: He spoke French fl uently . – � uency n [U]


11

1AModule 1Learning

11

1AModule 1Learning

Speaking 1 (Read aloud; Answer short question)

1 How many languages is it possible for one person to learn, do you think? 2? 3? 10? 50?

To do well on speaking tasks, including Read aloud, you need to put stress in the appropriate places, for example, on the appropriate syllables of the main words. Doing this should produce a smooth rhythm.

2 a 02 Listen to someone reading the text. As you listen, follow along, using a pen or pencil to point at the words.

Emil Krebs was a German translator and interpreter who worked in the early twentieth century. It has been said that he knew sixty to sixty-five languages, many of which he taught himself. Many scientists have wondered whether his brain was wired differently from other people’s.

b Did you move your pen/pencil smoothly across all words, or did you jump from main word to main word?

3 a 02 Listen again and underline the syllables that the speaker stresses.

b What do you notice about most of the words in which you underlined a syllable? What parts of speech are they?

c How is the pronunciation of the unstressed syllables different from the stressed ones?

4 Work in pairs. Take turns to read the text in Exercise 2a aloud. Focus on stressing the syllables you underlined.

5 Do you believe what the text in Exercise 2a says?

6 Complete the task in pairs. Remember to stress the important words.

35 secs. Look at the text below. In 35 seconds, you must read this text aloud as naturally and clearly as possible. You have 35 seconds to read aloud.

When they examined the brain of someone who understood many languages, scientists found that the area that governed speech did not have the same form as in most monolingual speakers’ brains. What scientists don’t know is whether language learning changes the brain or whether some people are born with this quality.

7 a 03 Look at the text in Exercise 6 again and underline the syllables you stressed. Then listen to someone reading the text. Did he stress the same syllables as you?

b Will you approach the task differently next time? If so, how?

8 Look again at the last sentence of the text in Exercise 6. What is your opinion? Do you think talent is something that we are born with or something that we develop?

9 04 Complete the task in pairs. You will hear six questions.

10 secs. You will hear a question. Please give a simple and short answer. Often just one or a few words is enough.

Discussion

Pronunciation: Word stress and rhythm

Test practice 1: Read aloud

hh EXPERT STRATEGIES page 169

Task analysis

Discussion

Test practice 2: Answer short question



12

Module 1Learning1A

Listening 1 (Fill in the blanks)

1 a Are people in your country generally monolingual, bilingual or multilingual? Which languages do people from your country commonly speak?

b Which of the skills in the box do you think bilingual children might be better at than monolingual children?

creative thinking doing arithmetic giving word defi nitionsproblem-solving repeating numbers orally

In Fill in the blanks you have seven seconds before the recording starts. Use this time to skim the text. This allows you to determine the topic, which will help you to focus your listening.

2 Skim the text in Exercise 3. What is the main topic? Explain your answer to a partner.

1 when a research project was conducted 2 the results of a research project 3 who took part in a research project

While you listen, you can either type directly into the boxes or you can take notes and type your answers afterwards. Note that during the test you must click in each box; the ‘Tab’ key does not move between boxes.

3 05 Listen to a lecture and complete the text.

Before you listen

Skimming for main topichh EXPERT STRATEGIES page 183

Completing the blanks

We’ll look now at a very interesting 1 . It was carried out by a researcher who works in two countries, Scotland and Italy, and it involved children from both of these countries aged around

2 or so. Half of the children from each country spoke only their national language. However, the other half spoke their national language plus another language.

During the study all the participants were given tests and quizzes which looked at a range of skills, including 3 understanding, problem-solving, creative thinking and 4 . The children

used their national language to complete the tasks, which involved things like copying 5 of coloured blocks, orally repeating a series of numbers and giving clear defi nitions of words.

The results were quite clear. The bilingual children were 6 more successful in the tasks.

4 a Read the text in Exercise 3 again, quickly but carefully. Use this checklist to check your answers.

1 Is each word grammatically correct (e.g. the right part of speech or the right verb form)?

2 Is the spelling of each word correct? 3 Does each word fi t the meaning of the sentence it is in? 4 Does the text make sense overall?

b Make any changes to your answers that you feel are appropriate.

5 Did the results of the study surprise you? Why/Why not?

Check your answers

Discussion

hh SEE LISTENING 2 for more practice of this task type.


13

1AModule 1Learning

Language development 1

Tenses in academic English hh EXPERT GRAMMAR page 200

1 a Look at the text on page 9. Mark the tenses in the box different colours.

present simple present continuous present perfect past simple past continuous

b Which are most and least common in the text: simple, continuous or perfect tenses?

Passive v. active hh EXPERT GRAMMAR page 200

2 Read the extracts from Listening 1 and answer the questions.

A (The study) was carried out by a researcher. B During the study all the participants were given

tests and quizzes.

1 Underline the verbs in each sentence. 2 Who did the action in A? Which word begins the

phrase that tells you? 3 Who did the action in B? Do we know? 4 What is more important in each sentence: the

person who did the action or the action itself?

3 Complete the text with the present simple or past simple form of the verbs in brackets. Use the active or passive form.

In the past, it 1 (often / feel) that encouraging young children to learn more than one language only 2 (cause) problems. It 3 (think) that children already 4 (have) a diffi cult task to learn their mother tongue, and that adding an extra language would just make it even harder. Indeed, research seemed to support this opinion. In a number of studies young bilingual children 5 (give) a vocabulary test and their scores were usually a little lower than monolingual children of the same age. Later, however, it 6 (realise) that there was a problem with these tests: they only 7 (test) one language. When the bilingual children 8 (test) in both languages, it 9 (generally / fi nd) that they had a larger vocabulary overall than the monolingual children. Nowadays the benefi ts of bilingualism 10 (widely / recognise).

Discourse markers hh EXPERT GRAMMAR page 201

4 a Read the extract from Listening 1. Is the idea in the second sentence similar to or different from the idea in the fi rst sentence? Which word signals this?

Half of the children from each country spoke only their national language. However, the other half spoke their national language plus another language.

b Match the discourse markers in the box with their functions (1–10).

an important point and because but consequentlyduring fi rst for instance further however in summary so that

1 links similar ideas: and , 2 links different ideas: , 3 shows order of ideas: 4 introduces an example: 5 indicates time: 6 introduces a consequence: 7 introduces a reason: 8 begins a summary or conclusion: 9 introduces a purpose: 10 emphasises a point:

c Work in pairs. Think of other words and expressions for the functions in Exercise 4b.

5 Complete the lecture transcript with discourse markers from Exercise 4.

Today we’ll look at two points about how young children learn a language.

1 First , we’ll look at something called ‘the critical period’, which usually lasts until the age of 10 or 12 or so. 2 this time connections in the brain develop quickly and the brain grows rapidly in volume. 3 , languages can be learnt with relatively little effort at these ages. 4 , when this period comes to an end, it doesn’t mean that language learning stops completely; it can defi nitely continue 5 with a different process.

6 about the critical period is that we can’t prove it very easily. This is 7 we would need to bring up a child without any opportunity to learn a language 8 then try to teach them the language after the end of the critical period. Withholding children from such learning opportunities would cause serious problems. 9 , people of any age can learn a new language 10 it might take less effort for those who start young.

My second point is about children and language learni


1B

14

Module 1Learning1A

Writing 1 (Write essay)

1 a When did you start learning a second language? Do you wish you had started earlier or was that the right time? Give reasons.

b Work in pairs. Read the essay prompt and discuss your opinion.

‘Children should learn a second language from as early an age as possible.’ How far do you agree with this statement? Support your point of view with reasons and/or examples from your own experience.

2 Read the sample essay on page 193. What opinion does it express? How different or similar is this to the one you gave in Exercise 1a?

3 a Which paragraph(s) in the sample essay is/are:

1 the introduction? 2 the body? 3 the conclusion?

b Match the stages (1–3) in Exercise 3a with their purpose (A–C).

A to explain the ideas that support the writer’s opinionB to introduce the topic and give the writer’s opinionC to wrap up the essay and repeat the writer’s opinion

4 Read the first sentence of each paragraph in the body of the sample essay and answer the questions.

1 Do the sentences make any points you discussed in Exercise 1a?2 What is the connection between these sentences and the opinion

expressed in the essay?

5 Answer the questions about the body paragraphs of the sample essay on page 193. Use the tips in the boxes on that page to help you.

1 What is the first sentence of each paragraph called?2 What does this sentence express? 3 What kind of word or expression is at the beginning of this

sentence? 4 What does this word or expression show the relationship between? 5 What does the rest of each body paragraph consist of: reasons or

examples from the writer’s own experience?

6 Read the essay prompt and follow steps 1–3 below.

‘It’s better to be bilingual or multilingual than to be monolingual.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement? Support your opinion with reasons and/or examples from your own experience.

1 Decide your opinion, then brainstorm some supporting ideas.2 Choose the two or three strongest of these supporting ideas. 3 Write a paragraph for each. Make sure that: A each paragraph has one main idea only. B topic sentence in each paragraph clearly shows main idea. C rest of paragraph provides evidence (reasons, examples,

explanations, etc.) for main idea. D ideas are linked smoothly with discourse markers. E you have checked for spelling, grammar and punctuation

mistakes.

7 Work in pairs. Exchange paragraphs and check each other’s work using the points in step 3.

8 Discuss the results of step 3. Then refine the first draft of your paragraphs in light of your discussion.

Lead-in

Staging in essayshh EXPERT WRITING page 193

Writing body paragraphs

hh SEE WRITING 2 for more practice of this task type.


1B Education

15

You will hear a recording. Type the missing words in each blank.

A really good illustrative example of the point I want to make is the book Journey Cake, Ho! by Ruth Sawyer, based on a traditional folk tale. Teachers often read this aloud to their classes, showing the 1 to the children as they do so. They are, of course, using the 2 of Ruth Sawyer, and presenting the story just as the artist has visualised it. But other teachers do it 3 . Instead of reading, they tell the story from memory. This gives the children a much richer experience – they can freely use their own 4 , visualising the story, the characters and the scenes in their mind’s eye in any way they like. And, this is much closer to the way in which folk tales were passed from generation to generation – orally, without any words or pictures to 5 the imagination.

Listening 2 (Fill in the blanks; Write from dictation) 1 How much did you enjoy

listening to stories as a child? Can you remember any folk tales? Did you prefer reading stories on your own or hearing other people tell them to you? Give reasons.

2 06 Complete the task. Remember to skim the text before the recording starts and afterwards to check each answer for grammar, spelling and meaning in context.

Before you listen

Test practice 1: Fill in the blanks


3 Compare answers in pairs and try to resolve any differences. Then answer the questions.

1 For each blank, which clues did you use to check the grammar (e.g. part of speech or verb form)?

2 Did you fi nd any mistakes while checking to see if your answers fi t the overall meaning? In general, do you think this is a strategy that you can use on other parts of the test? Why/Why not?

3 In the test, do you think you would take notes on the answers or would you type directly into the blanks while listening?

4 Does the speaker prefer stories to be read aloud or told from memory? Do you agree? If you were telling a story to a child, would you read it or tell it from memory?

5 Look at the sentences a student wrote in a Write from dictation task. Find and correct the mistakes.

1 Every culture has a tradition of telling folk tails. 2 Children often tell stories by their teachers.

6 07 Complete the task. You will hear four sentences. After each, check your work and use your grammar knowledge to reconstruct parts of the sentence you didn’t write down.

You will hear a sentence. Type the sentence in the box below exactly as you hear it. Write as much of the sentence as you can. You will hear the sentence only once.

7 07 Compare answers in pairs and note any differences. Then listen again and check your answers.

Task analysis

Discussion

Test practice 2: Write from dictation hh EXPERT STRATEGIES page 188


How many years have you studied English?

Where did you go to high school?

16

Module 1Learning1B

Language development 2

Present perfect and past simple hh EXPERT GRAMMAR page 201

1 a Read the sentences related to the lecture in Listening 2 and answer the questions.

A Ruth Sawyer wrote a wonderful award-winning book.

B … you are seeing the story as the artist has visualised it.

1 What tenses are the verb forms in bold? 2 Which verb form shows the present relevance of a

past action? 3 Which verb form describes an action completed

in the past but with less present relevance?

b Read the sentences. What is the difference in meaning between the two sentences?

A I’ve had three lessons this morning. B I had three lessons this morning.

2 a Choose the correct options in italics to complete the sentences. Give reasons for your answers.

1 A I spent / I’ve spent a lot of time at the beginning of term on my university assignments but I didn’t do / haven’t done so much work on them recently. B I spent / I’ve spent a lot of time on my university assignments – at least 20 hours a week for the last six weeks.

2 A This university ran / has run three courses for English language support so far this year and we’ll have another three in the second half of the year. B This university ran / has run three courses for English language support last year and we’re increasing the number to six this year.

3 A Teachers at our school provided / have provided a number of after-school activities for the children over the last few years. B Teachers at our school provided / have provided a number of after-school activities for the children up until last year but it isn’t possible to continue this year.

b Work in pairs. Find out about each other’s educational experiences. Use the present perfect and the past simple in your questions.

3 Work in pairs. Which of these situations need the present perfect? Give reasons.

1 describing procedures in previous research 2 showing how previous research is relevant now 3 talking about general points that were learnt from

previous research

Defi ning relative clauses hh EXPERT GRAMMAR page 202

4 a Read the sentence related to the lecture in Listening 2. Underline the words or phrases that describe the book Ruth Sawyer wrote.

Ruth Sawyer wrote a wonderful, award-winning book which is based on a folk tale ...

b What grammatical forms did you underline in Exercise 4a? How many separate ideas did they allow the speaker to combine into a single sentence?

c What conclusion can you draw about the usefulness of these forms in academic writing?

5 Find and correct the mistakes in the sentences.

1 She’s the lecturer who take linguistics classes. 2 I know the person which you mean – the person

we met in the library yesterday. 3 Is that the place, where you met your wife? 4 Is she the person speaks six languages?

6 Join the sentences using defi ning relative clauses.

1 Young children learn from stories. These stories are simple and interesting and have strong characters.

Young children learn from stories that are simple and interesting and have strong characters. 2 There’s a good library. You can study there

peacefully. 3 People in Hungary speak a language. It has some

very complex verb forms. 4 Young children often learn better through

activities such as games and songs. These activities involve doing things, not just reading or listening.

5 The university careers offi ce has some very experienced staff. They can help you to fi nd a job.

6 The class read a book. It contained a lot of information about the history of their city.

7 J K Rowling is an author. She has written some very infl uential children’s books. They have sold in many countries around the world.

7 Work in pairs. Take turns to fi nish the sentences using relative clauses and begin short conversations.

1 After this course I want to study a subject … 2 I think English is a language … 3 I live in a place … 4 Last year I did something … 5 Tomorrow I’ll study something …


17

1BModule 1Learning

Academic vocabulary 2

Dealing with unfamiliar words

1 Work in pairs. Which of the following do you do when you fi nd a word you don’t know?

1 try not to think about it and keep reading 2 decide whether you need to know it or not 3 use clues such as prefi xes and suffi xes to guess the

meaning 4 use clues around the word to guess the meaning

If you fi nd an unfamiliar word in a text, the words surrounding it will often provide you with clues to its meaning. These are known as context clues .

2 a Read the fi rst line of the text. Look at the word in bold and answer the questions under the text.

Since people began speaking, we’ve narrated stories toeach other – stories about why the sun traverses the skyand why it vanishes at night. In fact, you’ll fi nd that whatever discipline you’re studying, story telling is an incredibly valuable tool for communication because our brains are biologically constructed to receive information contained in a story. When information is conveyed in the form of a story, people pay much closer attention to it.

1 What part of speech is it? 2 Who is doing the action? 3 What are they doing it with? 4 Who are they doing it to? 5 Is it most likely to mean shouted, sung, written or

told ? How do you know?

b Read the rest of the text in Exercise 2a and match the underlined words with the clues (1–5).

1 something that people can study: 2 very: 3 something the sun does in the sky: 4 passed from one person to another: 5 something the sun does at night:

c Use the clues in Exercise 2b to match the underlined words in the text with these words (1–5) that are similar in meaning.

1 communicate: 4 extremely: 2 cross: 5 subject area: 3 disappear:

Knowing which unknown words are important Not all words are important for understanding a text. Think carefully about whether you need to know a word before you spend time trying to fi nd out its meaning.

3 a Read the text. Look at the words in bold and circle the ones you think are most important to the overall meaning. Aim to circle around half of the words in bold.

It’s widely acknowledged that telling stories to young children is motivating for them and is effective in aiding their learning. However, it is a skill that requires ample amounts of practice to do well. Pre-adolescent children generally respond with immediacy to story telling; they will look at you intently – as if mesmerised – if they are enjoying the story but if they fi nd it boring or don’t understand it, they will quickly begin squirming , talking to each other and looking for other things to do.

b Work in pairs. Discuss reasons for your choices in Exercise 3a.

c Use the context to guess the meaning of the words you circled.

d Work in pairs. Discuss your answers to Exercise 3c. Which clues in the text did you use?

e Check the meaning of the words you circled in a dictionary. Did you guess correctly?

4 a Read the text in Exercise 3a again and answer the questions.

1 Does the writer believe it is easy to be a good storyteller for children?

2 How will you know if an audience of children doesn’t understand the story well?

b Did you need to know every word to answer the questions?

Inferring meaning from context

5 a The words in the box are from the text on page 15. Circle them in the text, then use the context to match them with their meanings (1–5).

based on rich generation mind’s eye visualise

1 : form a picture in your mind 2 : full of interesting or important facts, events

or ideas 3 : used as a model from which something else

is developed 4 : imagination 5 : all the people in a family of around the

same age

b Complete the sentences with the words in Exercise 5a.

1 Many children’s books are in illustrations. 2 It often helps when learning vocabulary to a

situation associated with a word. 3 The scene is very clear in my ; you’ve

described it very well. 4 The oldest of most families isn’t able to work

anymore. 5 Modern teaching techniques are very

thorough research.

AWL ACL


18

Module 1Learning1B

Reading 2 (Multiple-choice, choose multiple answers)


1 Which of these methods do you think you learn best from? Which do you learn least effectively from? Does it depend on the discipline you’re studying?

• books • collaboration with other people • video • imitation • computers/the internet • lectures

2 Do you think learning methods like these could make the difference between a student’s success and failure?

In all reading tasks you can use the strategies you looked at in Academic vocabulary 2 to deal with unfamiliar words. Don’t worry about words that are not important for the question and use context clues to help you guess the meaning of others.

2 Complete the task. Remember to skim the text, read the question and responses to fi nd the main idea, and then scan for each key point.

Before you read

Test practice

Read the text and answer the question by selecting all the correct responses. More than one response is correct.

Video based supplemental instruction (VSI) provides students with an intensive learning experience that aims to help them to succeed in a subject which they have previously failed. This programme, which has been successful in similar contexts, was piloted at the University of Western Sydney in an engineering mathematics subject with a high failure rate. Students face diffi culty with this subject for a number of reasons, including lack of preparedness and lack of confi dence or positive attitude towards mathematics. Consequently, students tend to fall behind as the subject progresses and are therefore unable to complete assessments and the exam. This paper provides a case study of the VSI pilot and outlines the methodology of utilising pre-recorded lectures, which are the main VSI learning tool. It describes the outcomes for the course participants who had previously failed this fi rst-year course, as well as insights gained by the staff who were involved in this collaborative learning programme.

Which of the following can be concluded from the text?

A Students often fi nd the subject mentioned in the article diffi cult.

B The programme described in the paper was successful.

C VSI is used to teach people who are studying a subject for the fi rst time.

D People involved in teaching also took part in this study.

E The article describes a technique used for the fi rst time ever.

F The video recordings were mostly of students doing assessments.

3 a Did you need to guess the meaning of unknown words from the context? If so, which words did you do this for? How did you do it?

b Of the incorrect options, which ones contradict statements in the text? Which contain information that is not mentioned in the text and cannot be concluded from it?


1 If the programme in the text turned out to be successful, do you think it was because of the use of video, because the study was intensive or something else?

2 Do you think different people learn in different ways? For example, do some people learn better from books and others from video?

3 How helpful do you think it is to use a variety of methods to learn?

Task analysis

Discussion

EXPERT WORD CHECK

case study collaborative fall behind lack of outline piloted preparedness


19

1AModule 1Learning

19

1BModule 1Learning

12

Speaking 2 (Describe image)

1 Think of as many of the following as you can.

1 types of chart and graph, e.g. a bar chart2 synonyms of an increase and a decrease (nouns), e.g. a rise3 synonyms of increase and decrease (verbs), e.g. rise

2 Look at the bar chart in Exercise 6 and answer the questions.

1 What does the bar chart show? 2 Which language had almost no change in popularity? 3 Which languages had the greatest percentage increase of children

choosing them? Which showed the largest decrease? 4 Is the difference between Polish and Portuguese significant? What

about the difference between French and German? Between French and Polish?

In Describe image you don’t always have time to describe everything. Quickly decide what the most significant features are and describe those.

3 Work in pairs. Discuss which items of information from Exercise 2 are the most important to mention.

4 08 Listen to a student doing the task. Which points does she mention?

5 a 08 Listen again and complete the sentences.

1 The graph the percentage change the number of students who …

2 The percentage students who took French and German has fallen.

b Use the prompts to write complete sentences that follow the patterns in Exercise 5a.

1 bar chart / illustrate / percentage change / students’ exam grades 2 percentage / students / scored over 80 percent / drop 3 percentage / students / scored below 60 percent / rise

6 Complete the task in pairs. Remember to include only the most important information and to use the language in Exercise 5.

40 secs. Look at the bar chart below. In 25 seconds, please speak into the microphone and describe in detail what the bar chart is showing. You will have 40 seconds to give your response.

Lead-in

Understanding the bar chart

Identifying the important featureshh EXPERT STRATEGIES page 171

Sample response

Test practice

7 a Did you and your partner mention different points? If so, what was different? Were all the points you mentioned significant?

b How smoothly did you speak? Did you pause or repeat information?

Task analysis

hh EXPERT SPEAKING page 189

Change in language study choice of students in UK high schools12%

6%

0

-6%

German French SpanishChinese Polish Portuguese


20

Module 1Learning1B

Writing 2 (Write essay)


1 Which of these methods do you use to help you learn English?

• practise speaking • practise writing • learn grammar rules • memorise vocabulary • do a lot of reading • other things

2 Which methods do you think are most effective? Which are least effective?

3 What would be the effect of adding or dropping any of these methods to/from your study routine?

Making a quick plan will help you to organise your ideas before writing and stay focused while writing.

2 Work in pairs. Compare the essay plan below with the sample essay on page 193 and discuss the questions.

1 Does the plan contain any small words such as articles and prepositions or only the most essential words?

2 What do you think imp , e.g. , prblm , thnkg , u/stand, → and btwn mean?

3 What other symbols can you think of that might be useful in a plan? 4 Which of the ideas in the notes are the main ideas? Which are the

supporting ideas? How are these indicated? 5 Why do you think the introduction and conclusion aren’t in the plan?

Lead-in

Essay plans hh EXPERT STRATEGIES page 175

agree imp several skills e.g. prblm solving, creative thnkg u/stand world, experience directly → connections btwn nations

Your plan doesn’t have to look like this one. Everyone develops their own style. Some people are even able to keep their plan just in their head.

3 Look at the task. Out of the 20 minutes, how many minutes do you think you would spend on these steps?

1 reading the question, thinking of ideas and planning 2 writing your essay 3 checking and revising your essay

20 mins. You will have 20 minutes to plan, write and revise an essay about the topic below. Your response will be judged on how well you develop a position, organise your ideas, present supporting details and control the elements of standard written English. You should write 200–300 words.

‘The most effective way to become more profi cient in a language is to practise speaking and writing it in real situations.’ To what extent do you agree with this point of view?

Understand the task


21

1BModule 1Learning

Although the task gives you the option to agree or disagree with the opinion in the prompt, for practice purposes you are asked here to write an essay that agrees (essays that disagree are dealt with in Module 3).

4 Discuss the questions in pairs.

1 In your own history of learning English, what experiences have shown that speaking and writing practice is better than other things you can do, such as grammar exercises?

2 Can you think of examples of people who have tried to learn English through practice, or through other ways, and found one method to be more effective?

3 Why might practising speaking and writing a language be a good learning strategy? For example, does it relate to real life more than other strategies? Is it more or less fun and motivating than other strategies?

Plan your essay

5 a Make a plan similar to that in Exercise 2 using the ideas you discussed in Exercise 4.

b Which ideas from Exercise 5a are the strongest? Tick (✓) them on your plan. Based on the number of ideas you ticked, how many body paragraphs will you aim for?

c Decide on the order in which you want to present your ideas (usually from strongest to weakest) and number them on your plan.

Language and content

6 a Read the examples. Which feels smoother and more natural?

A People generally learn better when they follow a variety of learning strategies, not just one. For this reason, a number of different strategies are generally used by teachers.

B People generally learn better when they follow a variety of learning strategies, not just one. Teachers use a number of different strategies in class for this reason.

b Look at the single-underlined information in the examples. Is it related to information in the first sentence or is it new information? What about the double-underlined information?

c Which results in a smoother flow: putting new information at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of a sentence?

For a smooth flow, sentences usually begin with given information, that is, information that has appeared earlier in the text. New information – information not mentioned before – usually goes later in the sentence. Switching between active and passive voice can often be useful for this.

7 In each sentence pair, underline the information in the second sentence that is given in the first. Then re-write the sentences so that the given information appears at the beginning of the sentence and the new information at the end.

1 Many students lose motivation when they are asked to memorise grammar rules. Tasks with a practical purpose motivate them more.

Many students lose motivation when they are asked to memorise grammar rules. They are more motivated by tasks with a practical purpose. 2 When you practise a skill, you develop the habit of

using the skill. Real-life activities are made easier because of these habits.

3 It’s important to use a range of techniques when studying anything, including languages. Motivation is increased by variety.

4 Several of my classmates in school only studied grammar and vocabulary for their English lessons. Soon, other subjects excited them more.

Write your essay

8 Write your essay. Use your plan from Exercise 5 and the concepts in Exercise 7 to help you. Follow the sample essay on page 193. Remember to write 200–300 words.

Check your essayhh EXPERT WRITING page 192

9 Check your essay. Use the checklist on page 192.

Further practice

10 Turn to page 193 and complete another timed test practice.


Module 1Learning1B

22

Review

1 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1 For the last six years researchers in the education department (study) the effect of technology on children’s learning.

2 Some major changes (make) to the school’s curriculum last year.

3 Of relevance to the current study is the point that researchers (show) that interactive learning benefi ts many but not all students.

4 Learning a language (require) lots of hard work.

5 The percentage of students choosing the Mandarin Chinese course (increase) dramatically last year.

6 Recent research (improve) our knowledge of what goes on in the brain when a baby is learning how to speak.

7 Generally, many benefi ts might (gain) by learning an additional language.

8 Doing plenty of reading (see) as an effective way of increasing your vocabulary.

9 When I was in the fi rst year of primary school, our teacher (tell) us a story every day.

10 Young children (learn) very effectively from stories.

2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the words in the box.

awareness cognition memorise normperceive profi ciency rate take in

1 As he lived and worked in Tokyo for several decades, he is in Japanese.

2 He was that someone had entered the room even though he couldn’t see the door.

3 She isn’t good at of vocabulary – she fi nds it diffi cult to remember words just by reading them off a list.

4 Children’s skills improve as they grow up. This helps them to solve problems and work out consequences.

5 When the teacher provides a variety of learning activities, children are more likely to the point that is being taught.

6 His of the problem was different from mine – we were thinking about it in different ways.

7 Our results were surprising – they were very different from the .

8 Participants in the study were asked to their experience on a scale from one to ten.

3 Write sentences using the prompts. Use defi ning relative clauses.

1 bilinguals / people / can speak / several languages

Bilinguals are people who can speak several languages. 2 a pie chart / a type of chart / show / amounts as

slices of a pie 3 a person / illustrate / an illustrator 4 a primary school / a place / children under the

age of 12 study 5 learning three languages / the achievement / he /

most proud of 6 a bimonthly magazine / a magazine / published /

every two months 7 problem-solving / a skill / useful in many jobs 8 you / fi nd / the evidence / you / want / for your

research? 9 maths / a school subject / many people / enjoy 10 folk tales / traditional stories / passed / parents to

children over many generations

4 Complete the article with the words in the box.

collaboratively creative imitation increasesmemorised orally problem richly

Teachers of young children generally use a wide range of techniques to help them learn. Younger children learn especially well by 1 : the teacher can demonstrate something and the children repeat what they hear. Songs work particularly well for this. Telling stories is also eff ective with this age group. Children of this age generally learn well 2 . Teachers can read them from a book or tell a story they have 3 . If books are chosen, it is recommended that they be 4 illustrated and have interesting characters.

As children grow older, their level of maturity 5 and diff erent techniques are needed. Older children need to develop diff erent skills such as 6 -solving and 7 thinking. Asking the children to work in groups and carry out tasks 8 also helps them to improve their communication skills.


m01 exp cb b2glb 8101 u01 · 2 skim the text in exercise 5 and answer the questions. 1 which of the...

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